Microsoft (News - Alert) and Netflix have entered into an exclusive partnership to offer consumers the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. With Xbox 360, users can instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix.

 

Microsoft is unveiling a new generation of games and entertainment experiences on Xbox 360 consoles this fall and Netflix on Xbox 360 is an important component of this new Xbox experience. For the first time in the history of mass-market consumer electronics devices, the new Xbox experience has been re-invented through free software. This provides people with more fun and intuitive ways to interact, play and enjoy entertainment content.

 

Netflix will offer an ever increasing library of more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes when it launches on Xbox LIVE. Xbox 360 will also provide more movies and TV shows on demand than any other device connected to the TV, along with the existing Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store. Without the need of a PC, Xbox LIVE quickly and easily connects consumers and their friends to the entertainment they want.

 

Members can just add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues from the Netflix Web site. Those choices will be automatically displayed on the TV screen via Xbox 360 and available to watch instantly. Movies will start playing in as little as 30 seconds once they are selected. Xbox LIVE Gold members can fast-forward, pause and rewind with the help of their Xbox 360 Controller or Media Remote, apart from being able to instantly stream movies to the TV.

 

“Watching movies at home will never be the same. Netflix on Xbox 360 is an entertainment first, and we are bringing friends together with the best in entertainment content like no other device in the living room,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment LIVE, Software and Services Business at Microsoft. “We are creating a completely new social entertainment experience, and Xbox 360 will be the only video game system where you can access your library of instantly streamable movies from Netflix and turn any room into a virtual movie theater.”